WBC heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte is suing the organisation for failing to schedule his mandatory title fight against current champion Tyson Fury.
Whyte booked a shot at the WBC crown with a unanimous decision win over Oscar Rivas last July. Had then-champion Deontay Wilder defeated Fury in December, 'The Body Snatcher's' challenge was set for February.
Fury's dominant win over the American put the handbrake on those plans, with Wilder now due a rematch, but the COVID-19 pandemic suspended sport in March, leaving the stacked heavyweight division in a state of flux.
While the Fury v Wilder match-up is likely before the end of the year, 'The Gypsy King' has also agreed on terms with Anthony Joshua's camp, the WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA to unify boxing's heavyweight titles, if he tops Wilder for a second time.
Fury's promoter, Bob Arum, has requested mandatory challenges be postponed, while his charge fulfils his obligation with Wilder and then unifies the division against Joshua.
That request has sparked Whyte's legal grievance, whose 11 straight wins have positioned him as one of the elite boxers in the sport's glamour division.
"There is a procedure with regards to the date of the mandatory in the heavyweight division," WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has told Sky Sports UK.
"Upon direct advice of WBC legal counsel, I am not in a position to discuss any further.”
Whyte's promoter, Eddie Hearn, who also controls the careers of Joshua and Kiwi contender Joseph Parker, still wants Whyte to fight the winner of Fury v Wilder III.
The charismatic Brit has clarified the agreement between Joshua and Fury for a unification bout was just based on the purse, and there was no clear timeline on when that fight needed to happen.
Hearn has told Sky Sports UK that Whyte deserves his title shot and potentially position himself to unify the division against Joshua in 2021.
"The point of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua and the teams agreeing to the structure of that deal - that deal can happen," Hearn says.
"Dillian Whyte should be getting his shot at the world title and that’s important to us."
Auckland-based Parker hopes to spoil those plans, telling Newshub recently that he wants a rematch with Whyte following their epic 12-round war in 2018.
Whyte got the better of the Kiwi, via decision, in a back-and-forth slugfest, where both fighters hit the canvas.
